大象传媒

Finn den Hertog begins a previously unpublished comic story about the disintegration of a young marriage.

Taken from F Scott Fitzgerald's collection, I'd Die For You: and Other Lost Stories.

Romance, parties, cocktails and glamour - as a young writer in the 1920s F. Scott Fitzgerald gave the magazines what they wanted. He had little choice; short stories were his bread and butter. But as the author matured he yearned to explore darker territory.

This desire wasn't cushioned by wealth; The Great Gatsby hadn't sold well and as the Depression crunched in the early 30s, Fitzgerald was hit by large medical bills for both himself and his wife Zelda. Despite the financial pressures he resisted the easy censorship requested by editors, who balked at Fitzgerald's portrayal of confusing generational freedoms, sex before marriage, divorce and working women.

Growing increasingly uncompromising about deletions and sanitisations, Fitzgerald preferred to let these stories lie in wait until their time came.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in May 2017.